This Captain Crunch chicken is the BEST crispy chicken ever! Homemade breaded chicken tenders are cooked in the oven or air fryer making an ultra-crunchy and flavorful chicken recipe.
It's funny but I am always looking for new ways to make breaded chicken breasts, especially when the breading becomes crispy and crunchy.
This crispy chicken recipe cooks up in the oven but you can also use the air fryer too!
These breaded chicken tenders are crispy and delicious! I can't stand a soggy breading and this recipe does not disappoint.
This was inspired by my crispy baked chicken thighs and pairs well with this Jamaican rice and peas. The chicken adds a nice surprise to the rice when mixed together.
Why You Will Love This Crispy Chicken Tenders Recipe
- A reliable recipe that produces crispy and juicy chicken every time you make it!
- Enjoy restaurant-quality food without spending tons of money!
- Kids love this recipe too, making it perfect for family dinners any night of the week.
- Works to make breaded chicken tenders or nuggets too! Chicken pieces of all sizes frankly.
Ingredients
Here's a brief look at the ingredients needed to make Captain Crunch chicken. You'll find the exact amounts of each in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Chicken breasts: Choose fresh or frozen chicken! Opt for chicken tenders if you want to skip slicing them. This recipe also works great with chicken thighs too.
- Cereal: This recipe combines cornflakes and Captain Crunch cereal to make the crispy, crunchy coating.
- Butter: Melted butter helps the coating stick to the chicken. An egg also works well.
- Seasoning: Onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper add flavor to the crispy chicken.
Substitutions and Variations
- Crushed Corn Flakes: Use panko breadcrumbs instead.
- Melted Butter: Use a lightly scrambled egg instead.
- Spicy: Add a teaspoon of hot pepper sauce to the melted butter or egg before coating your chicken strips with the crumb mixture. Another option is adding a teaspoon of chili pepper flakes, jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder to the crumb mixture.
How to Make Captain Crunch Chicken
This is a quick and easy recipe that you can make in no time. It only takes a few simple steps.
The highlights are here, but you'll find the exact instructions in the recipe card at the end of the post.
- Combine the crushed cereal and seasonings in a bowl. Melt the butter in a bowl or whisk an egg in a bowl.
- Flatten the chicken breasts with a mallet. You can leave them whole, or cut them into strips or nuggets depending on your preference.
- Dip the chicken in butter or egg mixture and roll it in the cereal mixture.
- Place the chicken on a baking sheet and continue breading the remaining pieces of chicken.
- Bake in the oven until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
⭐️ Want to make Captain Crunch Chicken in the air fryer? No problem! Check the recipe card for the instructions!
- Serve up and enjoy!
What to Serve with Crispy Chicken
I love to dip. Traditionally, this Cap'n Crunch Chicken is served at Planet Hollywood with a Honey Mustard Dip.
If you want something similar use your favorite mustard and add liquid honey until you reach your desired level of sweetness.
I also have some other dips for chicken you can use instead if you prefer. Think ranch, bleu cheese, Caesar, and more.
Serve up Captain Crunch chicken with other homestyle favorite side dishes such as mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, and bacon macaroni and cheese.
If you need some more inspiration, take a moment to check out our list of favorite sides to serve with fried chicken.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Freeze for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container. Thaw them out in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheat: Cook at 375 degrees F for 3 minutes in the air fryer until warmed through. Adjust the time accordingly for whole breasts, strips, or nuggets. You can also reheat in the oven at 375 degrees F for 15-20 minutes or until heated through.
Make ahead: While we recommend baking these fresh for serving, you can bread the chicken in advance and freeze it to make meal time a bit easier. Place the breaded chicken on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Freeze and then after frozen you can transfer them to a storage container and store them for up to two months.
Tips
- Pound the chicken to a uniform thickness for more even cooking.
- Place the chicken evenly spaced apart in a single layer on the baking tray or inside your air fryer basket for more even heat distribution during cooking time.
- Spray all the exposed sides of your chicken before cooking for optimal crispiness and flavor results.
- Let the cooked chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving so the juices can settle back into the meat.
- Fully preheat the oven or air fryer before adding the chicken pieces.
FAQ
Either will work well to help the breading adhere to the chicken. It's totally up to your preferences.
Not really, Captain Crunch chicken is best enjoyed freshly prepared. However, you can combine the coating ingredients and store them in an air-tight container until ready to use them and pound out or prep the chicken so it's ready to bread.
Yes, most definitely! Follow the same instructions for breading the chicken. Spray the outside of the breaded chicken pieces and place them in the air fryer basket. Cook at 400 degrees F for 12 to 16 minutes. Flip and rotate the chicken halfway through the cooking time.
Video of How to Make
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Do you like chicken? Here are some recipes you may also like to try
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Crispy Captain Crunch Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts, whole or cut into strips
- ¾ cup corn flakes, crumbs or crushed cereal
- ¾ cup Cap'n Crunch cereal crushed
- ½ cup butter, garlic butter or 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- cooking spray
Honey Mustard Dip
- ½ cup yellow mustard spicy or dijon mustard
- ¼ -⅓ cup liquid honey
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
Bread the Chicken
- Crush the two cereals and mix together in a medium sized bowl. Add onion powder, garlic powder and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour on to a plate. Set aside.
- Melt butter in the microwave or on the stove. If you don't want to use butter crack and beat an egg to dip your chicken in. Set aside.
- At your workstation grab a chicken breast and beat it with a mallet until even or flattened.
- Decide if you are going to make entire chicken breasts, strips or fingers or tenders or nuggets. Cut your chicken accordingly.
- If making strips, I make three or four slices lengthwise, making the pieces as even as possible.
- If making nuggets I cut the strips into three pieces each.
- Dip chicken or pieces in the butter or egg.
- Next, roll chicken in crumb mixture until coated. Place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining breasts or strips.
Oven Baked Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a rimmed baking sheet with tinfoil and a rack lightly coated in cooking spray. Set aside.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes if using entire breasts, 25-30 minutes if baking strips and 15-20 minutes for nuggets. Regardless, make sure your chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. We usually spray cooking spray on top of prepared breasts before baking but this step is optional. Serve and enjoy!
Air Fryer Captain Crunch Chicken Breasts
- Prepare your basket with cooking spray and set aside.
- As you lay each piece of chicken into the basket spray the exposed side with cooking spray and lay that side down in your basket.
- Once all of the bottoms of your chicken your breasts are sprayed and placed inside your basket, in a single layer, as evenly spaced as possible, spray all of the tops of each chicken breast.
- Place basket inside your air fryer.
- Set your temperature to 400 degrees and cook until chicken is 165 degrees, 12 to 16 minutes, flipping and rotating breasts halfway through cooking.
- Remove chicken from the basket and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Make Ahead and Freezing
- After breading all the chicken pieces, place baking sheet in freezer until frozen, about 5 hours. Once frozen, you can easily drop your frozen breasts, nuggets or strips into a resealable freezer bag or an airtight container until needed.
- These frozen nuggets or strips will keep in your freezer for about 2 months.
- When you are ready to cook your nuggets prepare your air fryer basket with a coating of cooking spray.
- Place nuggets or strips in your prepared basket.
- Place basket in your air fryer on 400 degrees.
- Cook for 6 or 7 minutes. Adjust chicken pieces gently to reorganize and switch locations of all the pieces.
- Place the basket back in your air fryer until chicken is crispy and registers 165 degrees, another 6 to 10 minutes.
Notes
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- Pound the chicken to a uniform thickness for more even cooking.
-
- Place the chicken evenly spaced apart in a single layer on the baking tray or inside your air fryer basket for more even heat distribution during cooking time.
-
- Spray all the exposed sides of your chicken before cooking for optimal crispiness and flavor results.
-
- Let the cooked chicken rest for 5 minutes before serving so the juices can settle back into the meat.
-
- Fully preheat the oven or air fryer before adding the chicken pieces.
Nutrition
This post was originally published June 2020. It has been updated with new images and content.
